did you know that this hungarian guy named Ernő Rubik, never got a cent from his invention's sales? not because he's dumb or something, but because there was communism here those days he came up with the idea of the Cube, the laws of copyright were treated differently. actually, i think, there weren't any.

It didn't all turn out bad though - Erno is a millionaire of the back of the "Rubik" name and the other puzzles he developed.

The problem was that he was blocked from applying for an international patent on the product. An international patent cannot be granted if more than a year passes from the date of the national patent.

He was sure not to make the same mistake with

• Rubik's Magic
  
• Rubik's Clock
  
• Rubik's Snake
  
• Rubik's Triamid
  
• Rubik's Tangle
  
• Rubik's Dice
  
• Rubik's XV
  
• Rubik's Double Tangram
  
• Rubik's Maze
  
• Rubik's Tangram
  
• Rubik's Rabbits
  
• Rubik's Rings
  
• Rubik's Royal Brain Teaser
  
• Rubik's Shells
  
• Rubik's UFO

...and literally many, many others.

"The question of the patent of the invention was immediately raised, so I began the necessary process the 30 January, 1975. Almost at the same, sensing something of the importance of the invented game, of its possibilities and of its real value, I began searching for a partner for the manufacturing and by an extraordinary chance, I indeed found one. The following is rather simple : after its launch on the market (1977) the game became, rapidly and as if by magic, very popular in Hungary, then, from 1980 in the whole world. I feel like the story only begins, and that we can't predict the end, as well as nobody, I think, could have guessed its future."

London, 31 January, 1981, Erno RUBIK

My uncle, a pharmaceutical engineer became millionaire from his medicine patents in Hungary back in the communist times. While copyright laws were nonexistent, patent laws did exist. It took far more luck and work than on the west to make money from patents, but it was possible.

Patents accepted for registration were categorized as "inventions" and "improvements". There was a serious money making opportunity when the patent was categorized as invention. If ti was categorized as improvement, there was only a one time "bonus" for the inventor. This bonus was usually between his monthly and yearly salary, depending on the importance of the improvements.